Jessica's Guide to Living a Double Life
by angel of cullen
Summary: Continuation to JGDDS: Jessica is attending college in America while trying to deal with her new queenly duties, along with the Lucius' darker side. Rated T just in case...
1. Letters

**_A/N: TADA! See! I'm not dead! Sorry I've been so busy guys. I've had this lying around for months and decided to post it. Hopefully you enjoy ch1 and leave some reviews!_**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, although I do own a prereading copy**

_I am scanning books on a shelf. The titles are all unfamiliar, and the words in a language I cannot read. A voice, a voice that I will recognize forever, calls my name, not the name I am accustomed to, but the name I have come to love and call my own, just like the owner of the voice; Lucius Vladescu. He steps closer, reaching out his hand and calling again, "Antanasia". I turn and begin to walk, the long skirt of my velvet gown brushing against the rug. I glance down and notice the stain underneath my feet, a stain on our past, a stain that will never be removed. I step back to try and avoid it, but it seems to grow as I walk. I break into a run, and soon the stain has spread across the entire rug, changing it to a thick black-red color that reminds me of the past, of this room's history. Lucius' expression becomes more urgent. He opens his mouth once again, but this time utters a different name in a much higher-pitched voice "Jessica! Jess-"_

* * *

"Jessica!" I opened my eyes and pushed the pillow off of my face, only to have another one catapulted at me with extreme force. I mumbled something that hopefully sounded like "go away", and the covers were stripped off of me. Melinda Stankowicz was standing directly above me, threatening me with some kind of aerosol bottle. I held my hands in front of my face in self-defense, "Okay, fine. I surrender!" She pulled away and I got up, glancing toward the digital clock on the nightstand, "Min, it's eight AM! We're on _vacation_."

She already had her purse on her arm and was applying lipgloss in the tiny motel mirror. She turned to face me, "Exactly! Spring break! You _cannot_ sleep through spring break. We're going to miss out on all the eye candy!"

The one thing I definitely wasn't looking for on my relaxing beach vacation was "eye candy". I tried to think of an excuse to skip out on Mindy's guy-hunt, but came up with nothing, "Mindy, you go. I'm not feeling so great. Give me all the details!" I forced a weak smile at this one. I hated lying to my best friend, and it wasn't just about feeling sick. No, the things I had to keep from her were big, big enough to get in the way of our friendship. I knew that her finding out the truth was probably inevitable, but how could I tell her? _Hey Mindy, by the way, remember Lucius? The so-called vampire who was supposedly staked by my ex-boyfriend? Yeah, so, Jake wasn't very off base there. In fact, Lucius is perfectly fine, since he is, actually, a vampire. Oh, and here's an invitation to our upcoming wedding! Hope you can make it!_ And then there was the other part, the part that would change the way she looked at _me_ forever. There was a slight possibility that she might still want to associate with anyone deludedenough to believe in vampires, but how would she feel about someone who actually claimed to _be_ a vampire? My first reaction hadn't exactly been friendly.

As I pondered this for the millionth time since my return from Romania over the summer, Mindy mistook my far-away look for grief. She sat beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder, "Jess, it's been over a year. Lucius would have…well, he would have wanted you to move on." Her voice was hesitant. She still didn't know exactly what went on between Lucius and I last year, but she had sensed that we were closer than friends. _Betrothed, actually_, _born to unite and rule over our warring vampire clans together._

I attempted to respond truthfully, "I don't need to 'move on' Mindy. I'm fine. I just don't want to get into anything just yet. I'm really focused on school right now." This was, in fact, true. It had been my decision to continue my education before ruling my family. After all, I had eternity to get back to Romania and fulfill my destiny. Lucius was fine with my decision. He even encouraged me, even though he was upset about having to stay apart for so long. After extensive research, I found Carpathian University, home of the country's best Romanian language program. Learning the national language could potentially help me rule an entire vampire clan.

Mindy, finally satisfied with my excuse, left the motel room. I waited a few minutes for her to move far enough away, then threw on some clothes and dashed downstairs to the front desk. The manager handed me two letters addressed to Miss Jessica Packwood. The first was from Mr. Dorin Dragomir. I opened it on the way back up:

* * *

Dear Antanasia,

How are your studies progressing? I have a feeling your Romanian must be fluent by now. After all, it is in your blood. Oh, and your vacation? How is the beach? The ocean air must be lovely this time of year. I should consider visiting the seaside myself soon. I have sent a new shipment of O negative via the methods we discussed earlier. Hopefully it will be to your satisfaction. The clans have been very peaceful lately, under the careful eye of your betrothed, who, by the way, has been extremely distraught since your departure. But no need to worry, he is ruling with the justice that you would demand. Hope all is well with you and your friend.

Yours truly, Dorin

P.S.: Would you consider purchasing a few more pairs of gloves for me? You don't seem to find the ones with those delightful patterns on them over here.

I chuckled at the last part, remembering Dorin's excitement over small things like striped gloves and coffee shops in Pennsylvania. When I reached the room again, I flopped down onto the bed and practically tore through the second envelope, being gentler with the old-fashioned parchment inside. Every word was more precious to me than life itself. The elegant calligraphy read:

* * *

My Dearest Princess,

It has been nearly nine months since your departure, and time still crawls as if it were but a moment ago. Tell me, Antanasia, how is the seaside? Was it worth the time you could have spent with your people? With me? I apologize for my cruelty. I do understand your obligation to your friend (How is Melinda by the way? Still as eccentric as in high school?). I just do not believe that I am able to spend another moment without you (This letter is beginning to sound more and more like one of your "cheesy" American romance novels. Now I understand the authors' dilemma of avoiding clichés!). This is the truth! I miss you, Antanasia. Please busy yourself with schoolwork to avoid missing me, while I attempt to remain occupied with ruling two entirely peaceful clans of vampires.

Yours, and only yours, Forever, My love,

Lucius Vladescu

P.S: Give Melinda my regards

P.P.S: Actually, scratch that. Let's not frighten off our dear Mindy with notions of the undead just yet.

P.P.P.S: Please attempt to avoid falling for any more peasants during your stay in Miami…I would not enjoy flying across the Atlantic to win you back (again!)

* * *

A drop of water blurred the last few words. I hadn't realized that I had been crying until that moment. Lucius' frustrated words hurt me, mostly because they reflected my own thoughts. I wanted more than anything to be with him, too, but we had discussed this repeatedly. I wanted to bring new, possibly more democratic, ideas to my kingdom, but first I had to learn them myself. I was taking a few Poly Sci classes for this. Hopefully, we could make Romania's undead population a little less…brutal. Still, being away from him was incredibly painful. I had not seen him since the last day of summer, when I left our "people", and there was still over a month until we would see each other again. If he would only come to America for a little while…but we'd discussed it, and he'd refused flatly. I read the letter again, and a plan started to form in my mind. It required some deception, a day on the beach, and a little bit of help from Mindy…

_**A/N: like, OMG, cliffy!!! (Always wanted to say that) Okay, not really, but I think you know what I'm thinking...**_


	2. A Day On The Beach

**_A/N: Sorry for breaking my promise, guys! A lot of unexpected stuff/Christmas shopping came up._**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, or any of its characters. Nor do I own _Baywatch_...although I do wonder whose idea _that_ was O_o**

The beach was packed with Spring-breakers, but spotting Mindy was no problem. I could hear her wild laugh from miles away. She was playing volleyball, surrounded by a group of guys straight out of _Baywatch_. When she saw me, she ran up to me, shouting, "Jess! Come on! You'll never guess who I bumped into." As she led me closer to the net, I realized that one of the _Baywatch_-ers looked extremely familiar. It was none other than Jake Zinn, my ex-boyfriend, not to mention the boy who had saved everything that I lived for. We hadn't spoken since that night, when he said those five words to me, the words that I misunderstood so horribly. Did he know that I knew what he did for me?

Mindy, whom I had almost forgotten about completely, was chatting away to me about her day so far, completely in the dark about everything. Without saying anything to her, I walked up to him. He didn't even look at me. Did he hate me? I couldn't blame him for that, "Jake…" I started, but didn't know where to go after that. What could I say to him? Apologize? But where would I start? I tried again, "Jake, I'm so-". This time, I was interrupted him shouting, "Jess! Watch out!" I looked up, just in time to get hit in the face by a volleyball. I heard Mindy screaming as I hit the ground.

**

* * *

**

"Jessica" Lucius hovered above me, a lock of golden hair falling into his worried eyes…_wait! Lucius had dark hair!_ My eyes came into focus and I realized that it was Jake, how ironic that I could confuse them. He turned his head back to the concerned crowd and yelled, "She's okay guys!" and then to me, "That was a pretty bad fall back there, Jessica. You should probably stay here and lie down for a while. You know, we should keep an eye on you just in case you have a concussion. I can help you get to a chair in the shade."

"No, no, that's fine Jake, really. I'm okay, you just said so yourself. I ride horses, remember? I'm used to falling." I tried to get up, but my legs refused to work properly. He laughed and caught me before I fell, "Of course I remember. Do you remember that last show? God, you were amazing!" Now it was my turn to laugh-in disbelief. There was no way anybody could have remembered anything _I_ did at that 4-H show, "You really remember that? _I_ don't even remember it. All I remember is afterwards, when…" I trailed off. It was getting awkward again. But this time, he knew what I had been about to say, "So," he asked lightly, "How is…you know?"

"Lucius? He's good, or at least I hope he is. It's been over half a year since the last time I went to Romania." Jake shook his head, "I don't mean _him_. I mean _you_. How is everything?"

"Oh, do you mean being an undead mythical creature, or ruling a large group of other creatures that I know absolutely nothing about?" I realized how relieving it could be to have someone to talk to about this, "Actually, they're both not as bad as they sound. I won't gross you out with the details of the whole vampire thing, but being royalty isn't so bad. I do have Dorin and Lucius to help me out."

He seemed fascinated, "Wow, it all sounds so…_real_ when you say it." This confused me, "It wasn't 'real' when Dorin came to you and told you everything? Or when you were in the barn and you had to stab Lucius?" His brow furrowed, "I guess I wasn't really thinking then. I just knew that someone was going to get hurt, and I knew, somehow, that it was wrong. That guy, Dorin, gave me a way to stop it, so I took it."

"If you _were_ thinking, would you have still done it?" The question escaped my lips before I could think. I didn't know why I was asking, or what answer I wanted to hear. He looked at me for what felt like a very long time, making me realize that he was still holding me up, even though we had reached a beach chair. I wobbled over and sat down on the edge of the chair. He remained standing, but seemed to relax his posture and expression, "I probably would have still done it, because that's what friends do." He shrugged.

I smiled, "Okay then, well if _you_ ever fall in love with a vampire and need somebody to stake her, then I'm your girl." I only realized how wrong that was after saying it. _What was with me today? _Just as I was about to apologize, Mindy came running over, "Jess! Jake! Isn't this the weirdest thing? I mean, all of us on vacation in the same place at the same time?" Somebody from the volleyball net called Jake over. He started jogging back, "Okay, well, it was great catching up with you guys. See you around!" Mindy looked at me expectantly, "So?"

"So?"

"_So_, what were you guys talking about? You looked pretty comfortable!"

"Mindy! I was kind of unable to walk. Jake was just helping me!"

"Sure, that's what you think, but he is so, so definitely not over you!"

"If you recall, Min, _he_ dumped _me_." I rolled my eyes, but her words were getting to me. The way he had said "friends", and the look on his face right after I had mentioned falling in love with a vampire. It couldn't be, though. I had treated him so badly, ignoring him while chasing after Lucius and then never apologizing for hating him after the incident in the barn.

Mindy whined, "But things were different back then. Maybe it wasn't you guys' time. Maybe seeing him here is a sign that you should…" I interrupted, "Could you please get your mind out of a romance novel? Jake and I are friends, just like we were before we started dating, and just like we'll always be." Just as she started to protest, I remembered my plan, "_but_, if you do find someone else, I'm totally open."

She squealed, "Yes!" and ran away, probably listing available guys in her head. I grabbed a trashy magazine that happened to be lying on the beach towel next to me and began to flip through it. Eventually, I must have dozed off, because the next thing I felt was a hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake, "Jess! Come on, let's go back!" The sun was already setting. I followed Mindy back to the motel, and she started telling me about our dinner plans. Apparently, she had met two "gorgeous" guys who had offered to "show us the town". My plan was progressing perfectly…

**_A/N: Sorry, I know, you guys still don't know Jessica's "plan", but all will be revealed in the next chapter. I honestly hadn't planned for the whole "Return of Jake" thing, but I always felt like his story was left unfinished, and it seemed appropriate. This is probably not the last you'll be seeing of him in this story. Oh, and don't worry, LUCIUS will turn up soon, I swear!_**


End file.
